This article reinterprets Yinguang’s (1861–1940) “Eight-Verse Guiding Principles” as a program that integrates worldly ethics with supramundane liberation in modern Chinese Buddhism. On the ethical level, Yinguang established “fulfilling one’s duties and preserving sincerity” as the fundamental code, insisting that moral responsibility and the guarding of right mindfulness revealed the innate luminosity of the mind. Building on this, the article looks at “eliminating selfish desires and manifesting illustrious virtue” (gewu zhizhi 格物致知) as a way to connect ontology to practice, highlighting the significance of “refraining from all evils and cultivating all virtues.” The practitioner made progress toward the ultimate objective of “purifying the mind” by following these steps. On the liberation level, the bodhi-mind functions as vow-power oriented toward Buddhahood for self and others. This dual aspiration functioned as the inner motivation for rebirth in the Pure Land and the attainment of Buddhahood. The triad of “faith, vows, and practice” furnishes an accessible soteriological pathway for ordinary beings who rely on Amitābha’s vow-power to achieve rebirth with karmic burdens. Methodologically, the study combines close reading of primary writings with modern theories of religious ethics and lived religion to show how name recitation (chiming nianfo 持名念佛) concentrates the mind and conduces to the samādhi of recitation, where “the whole mind is Buddha, and the whole Buddha is mind.” Framed within the broader dynamics of Republican-era moral reform and global Pure Land transmission, the article argues that Yinguang’s eight-verse guiding principles embodied the ideal of “reaching Buddhahood by way of the human path,” providing a historically grounded yet contemporary salient model for understanding Chinese religious culture today.
Souichiro Honma, Kiichi Inarimori, Kengo Miyazono
et al.
In this article, we survey contemporary works on the phenomenology of deliberation and discuss its relevance to the philosophical problems of free will. We first articulate the debate between compatibilist and incompatibilist interpretations of (leeway and source) freedom in the phenomenology of deliberation (Section 2). Next, we examine this issue in light of relevant psychological studies of the folk experiences of deliberation (Section 3), followed by a discussion of four general methodological problems in the investigation of the phenomenology of deliberation (Section 4): (i) the problem of heterogeneity, (ii) the problem of cognitive penetration, (iii) the problem of reliability, and (iv) the problem of relevance. We conclude that these problems suggest the need for the reconsideration of experimental methods and the role of the phenomenology of deliberation in the free will debate.
Lalu Iwan Eko Jakandar, Y. Pantiwati, Hari Sunaryo
et al.
The integration of religious values in character education is one of the important strategies in shaping the morals and ethics of the young generation in the modern era. This study aims to examine how religious values can be integrated into character education in order to build a golden generation with noble character, integrity, and high social awareness. The method used in this study is a qualitative approach with a descriptive case study research type at SDII Muslim Madani. Researchers to dig up detailed information through observation, interviews, and documentation. The subjects of the study were the principal, teachers and students. Data analysis techniques include data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions or verification. The results of this study indicate that the integration of religious values in character education takes place through habituation activities in schools including congregational prayer activities as a means of character and spiritual education, tadarus and memorization of the Qur'an as strengthening religious values, religious extracurricular activities as self-development and student potential, and alms programs as social awareness education. This study highlights how religious-based character education is not only instilled through formal teaching, but also through daily practices that shape school habits and culture. This study also provides a holistic perspective by linking religious activities with aspects of students' self-development and social development. This study may be limited to the context of a particular school with a strong religious culture, so generalization to schools with different backgrounds may be limited. In addition, the research method used is likely more qualitative, so it has not measured the specific impact of each activity on students' character development quantitatively. Further studies are needed to explore its effectiveness in the long term and in various educational settings.
The problem of environmental sustainability in Nigeria is exacerbated by the complex interplay of religious and political influences. Religious doctrines and political frameworks often clash or fail to adequately address environmental issues, leading to ineffective policies and practices. This paper therefore examined the impact of religion and politics on environmental sustainabilty in Benue State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and hypotheses. The study employed a correctional survey research design. The study population comprise of 1,454,303 members of all registered religious bodies in Benue State out of which 400 respondents were randomly sampled for the study. The study employed structure questionnaire as instrument of data collection. Data collected was analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions. Hypotheses were tested using chi-square statistical tool. The findings revealed that religion has positive impact on climate change. The study further revealed that religion also has impact on environmental sustainability in Benue State. Tapping into these motivations and combining them with religious teachings about climate change and environmental sustainability could provide a powerful story line to enable the desired change. It was therefore recommended, among other things, that the religious leaders should endeavour to adopt appropriate measures in motivating their members to change their behaviours towards enhance environmental sustainability in the state.
leila jahantigh, Abbas Babaeenezhad, Mohsen Zayandehroudi
et al.
AbstractThe purpose of this research is to model the relationship between the moral code derived from Islamic teachings and performance with the mediating variable of employees' perception. The current research is applicable in terms of purpose, and survey type in terms of nature and method. The statistical population of the present study includes the employees of Sistan and Baluchistan province as many as 48011 thousand people. The collection tool in the current research includes the organizational equality perception questionnaire by Astron (2015). The reliability of the research was checked and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha criterion in SPSS software. AMOS software was used to fit the conceptual model of the research. The results of the exploratory analysis confirmed the mediating role of employees' perception in the effect of the moral charter derived from Islamic teachings on organizational performance. The results show that the code of ethics derived from Islamic teachings has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β=0.247, p-value<0.05), and the (partial) mediating role of employees' perception on the relationship between moral code derived from Islamic teachings and organizational performance was confirmed.Extended abstractIntroductionProfessional ethics is one of the fields that have a close relationship with value and belief bases. Man is the fundamental factor of movement and transformation in the organization/department, and attention to this important and strategic factor in the work environment and activities will lead to a series of growth and excellence. Therefore, professional ethics will play an important role in this field with regard to the solutions to improve intra-organizational communication (Mehdizadeh Rostam et al, 2020). Based on this, professional ethics can be seen as the supervisor's behavior and attitude towards other workers within the organization and even with people outside the organization (Hebenstreit et al, 2018). In the 1990s, a wave of voluntary corporate codes emerged, activated by efforts to improve reputation and avoidance of companies from scandals and unethical scandals (Kaptein, 2004). Lack of commitment to ethical and Islamic principles has a positive effect on the initiation, facilitation and expansion of administrative corruption (Morre, 2008). One of the most common employee problems and issues that the management is widely faced with is dishonesty and fraud at work. Research shows that 90% of employees are dismissed due to theft and 88% of them are dismissed due to lying. These cases show the deepening of work ethic norms within organizations (Javadin & Jalilian, 2021). For the proper movement of any organization, it needs to understand and manage the ethical and professional attitude of its employees (Yaqoubi et al, 2020). In Islamic societies, morals and religious values are considered as an essential part of people's culture and identity. Examining the effect of the code of ethics on the performance of employees based on Islamic teachings helps to gain a better understanding of the impact of religious values on individual and organizational behavior and performance, and defines the performance of employees as a standard of progress, overtime, reward, punishment, revision and salary changes. This research seeks to answer the question: "What is the relationship between the code of ethics derived from Islamic teachings and organizational performance, and does the employees' perception of this code of ethics play a role in this relationship?"Theoretical FrameworkCode of ethics in IslamIslam is the last and most complete heavenly religion that addresses all aspects of human life (Fayaz, Mehrabani, 2016). Institutions and business organizations are more inclined to acknowledge consequential ethics than statutory ethics, and the reason is partly due to the persuasive arguments of Adam Smith, the Scottish political economist and moral philosopher. He believed that the personal benefit of a human kind is the providence of God, not the will of the state. Smith presented the fourth philosophy of natural liberty, which represents the classical argument for open market competition and free trade. In this framework, people should be allowed to pursue work that is of personal and economic benefit to them, and the natural efficiency of the labor market serves the improvement of society. Another part of those ideas is presented through spiritual ethics. Theories of ethical writing emphasize the character of the individual and the intention of the actor, as opposed to the character of the action itself or the consequences of the action. These theories emphasize the ethics of piety and are based on Aristotle's approach to character. Robert Solomon is one of the most famous proponents of this Aristotelian approach to business ethics. He favors theories of business ethics that focus on individuals within companies, so he emphasizes both corporate roles and personal piety. The center of Aristotle's view for the inner character and piety of being a person on the behavior or actions of a person; so, a good person who has acted rightly through piety is a person with perfection, and eventually has good moral standards (Nelson et al, 2011).Kozáková et al, (2021) investigated factors affecting the prevalence of ethical codes: evidence from Slovakia. Their findings showed that first, companies with less ethical codes use general terms. When they want to specialize in ethical issues, the scope should be wider. Second, companies with fewer employees do not need extensive codes of conduct because of the clear rules that are directly known to the owners. In multinational companies, the communication of ethical rules is realized through ethical codes with specific objectives, because a direct way is impossible. Third, foreign-owned companies use different management approaches and therefore codes of ethics differ in terms of extent and content.Fallahi (2021) investigated a research entitled professional ethics in education and training centers, emphasizing the statement of the second step of the Islamic revolution. 5 categories of professional ethics; individual, social, training, education, education and training centers are important, as well as the values of professional ethics will lead to self-improvement in the first degree, and in the second degree, to community building, and in the third degree, to civilization.Research methodologyThe current research is applicable in terms of purpose, and survey type in terms of nature and method. The statistical population of the present study includes the employees of Sistan and Baluchistan province in the number of 48011 thousand people, due to the large sample size, 384 employees in the cities of Zabul, Zahedan and Khash were considered as sample, using the Morgan Karjesi table. The collection tool in the current research includes the organizational equality perception questionnaire by Astron (2015).Research findingsSPSS and AMOS software were used to analyze the data. The results of the exploratory analysis confirmed the mediating role of employees' perception in the effect of the moral charter derived from Islamic teachings on organizational performance. The results show that the code of ethics derived from Islamic teachings has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (β=0.247, p-value<0.05), and the (partial) mediating role of employees' perception on the relationship between moral code derived from Islamic teachings and organizational performance was confirmed.ConclusionThe current research was conducted with the aim of modeling the relationship between the moral code derived from Islamic teachings and performance with the mediating variable of employees' perception. The results of this research are in agreement with the research results of Kozáková et al, (2021), Fallahi (2021), Mehdizadeh Rostam et al, (2020), Yaghubi et al, (2020), Rezaei Kilidbari et al, (2020), Atak & S1k (2019), and Sagheb Esmaeelpour et al, (2019). (Sagheb Esmaeelpour et al, 2019) conducted a research on mentioned topic. The results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between work ethic and its dimensions with the job performance of employees. Considering the direct relationship between work ethics and job performance, it can be said that the promotion of employees' work ethics is associated with the increase of employees' performance; therefore, it is suggested to improve the status of work ethics and job performance of employees. More attention should be paid to work ethics in various dimensions of cognitive programs and organizational learning so as to increase the performance and active participation of employees in organizational affairs and to fulfill individual responsibilities; and the managers of universities and subordinate centers should pay serious attention to the various ethical dimensions of administrative therapy employees in order to increase the level of their employees' job performance and try to improve the moral level of employees by holding training workshops, forming problem solving teams and encouraging their employees.According to the results of the research, the following suggestions are presented:According to the Islamic teachings, the moral charter can become a program to transform the global threat into a global opportunity for the advancement of human culture and the excellence of human life. With the rich culture of Islam and the useful experiences of the ancient Iranian civilization, Iranian business organizations can play an important role in promoting global ethics in business; the Islamic code of ethics makes organizations better deal with economic, political and cultural crisis; ethical organizations in Islamic business insist on respecting the rights of employees in addition to the rights of customers, and based on their rights, they begin to formulate their ethical duties. Finally, it helps the organizational personnel to achieve organizational goals by simplifying their work with greater effectiveness.
Abstract: This research aims to explore the creativity of Al-Qur'an Hadith subject teachers in integrating digital technology in the classroom. The concept used is a collaborative learning model with varied IT-based learning media innovations. The research approach uses qualitative field research with a case study type. The methods used to collect data in this research were semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation and documentation. The research results show that the Al-Qur'an Hadith subject teacher at MTsN 2 Kediri has very good creativity. The teacher begins the presentation of the material with a lecture as an introduction and giving trigger questions, followed by a Jigsaw model discussion process and an assignment to make a poster as a Project Based Learning application, followed by clarification and confirmation from the teacher with Canva-based presentation slides displayed on the projector and playing learning videos from YouTube via Smart TV. The instructional design for Al-Qur'an Hadith subjects is based on lesson plans according to KI and KD, combining Jigsaw and Project Based Learning methods, and translating a strong belief in innovation.
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: This article examines the moral principles and norms required by legislators, particularly parliamentarians, from the perspective of Islamic teachings, which is significant for crafting appropriate codes of conduct. It aims to differentiate the unique professional ethics requirements for parliamentarians within a religious democratic context like the Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, it identifies potential conflicts or synergies between Islamic ethics and global ethical standards. METHOD & FINDING: The approach includes a comparative analysis, looking at contemporary practices of ethical code development, alongside a focused review of Islamic religious texts and their interpretations regarding moral governance. Key findings suggest that trustworthiness, confidentiality, consultation, and adherence to the law stand out as crucial ethical obligations. Moreover, the article highlights the potential pitfalls of not adhering to these ethical standards, such as the loss of public trust and the erosion of the legislative body's effectiveness. The approach includes a comparative analysis, looking at contemporary practices of ethical code development, alongside a focused review of Islamic religious texts and their interpretations regarding moral governance. Key findings suggest that trustworthiness, confidentiality, consultation, and adherence to the law stand out as crucial ethical obligations. Moreover, the article highlights the potential pitfalls of not adhering to these ethical standards, such as the loss of public trust and the erosion of the legislative body's effectiveness.CONCLUSION: The development of a comprehensive moral framework for parliamentarians is not only a foundational step in enhancing the integrity of governance but also crucial for maintaining public trust and accountability. Islamic teachings provide a robust foundation for these ethical norms, emphasizing the importance of moral conduct in leadership roles. By adhering to these principles, legislators can ensure more effective governance and a greater alignment with the public's interests, which ultimately strengthens the overall democratic structure.
Desrianti Desrianti, Muhammad Saleh Ridwan, Rahman Qayyum
et al.
This study examines Ismail Al-Zain's fatwa on tajdīd al-nikāh and its relevance to remarriage practices at the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) in Walenrang District, Luwu Regency, particularly among serial marriage perpetrators requiring official marriage registration. The research employs a field research method, combining a phenomenological approach to explore individual experiences with tajdīd al-nikāh and a normative juridical approach to analyze the issue through Islamic law, including the Qur'an, hadith, fiqh rules, and scholars' opinions. The findings reveal that while Ismail Al-Zain's fatwa permits tajdīd al-nikāh as jawāz (allowed), it should be avoided unless critically necessary. At the KUA of Walenrang, tajdīd al-nikāh is implemented not only to fulfill marriage registration requirements but also to address doubts about the validity of harmony and conditions in serial marriages. This practice is more accurately termed i'ādah al-nikāh, aiming to ensure compliance with Islamic legal requirements and resolve ambiguities associated with serial marriage legality. This study offers original insights into the practical and legal nuances of tajdīd al-nikāh versus i'ādah al-nikāh in the context of marriage registration. The findings underscore the critical role of legal clarity in protecting the rights of spouses and children and preventing future disputes in family law. The research highlights the importance of ensuring correct and legal marriage processes to address legal and social challenges in contemporary Islamic family practices.
Nigeria is socio-culturally multi-ethnic and religiously pluralistic. Religion has been a very singular but very strong factor that is affecting negatively the electoral system in Nigeria. The following key terms were used in this study: religion, election, politics, political party, electoral system, and franchise/suffrage. Political aspirants would always make use of their religious affiliations to achieve cheap political popularity. The electorates tend to vote for a given political aspirants based on religious sentiments and not on verifiable objective good human attributes. The aim of this paper among others is to attempt to find out whether religious affiliations of the political spirants enhance or hinder their successes during general election in Nigeria. The study is qualitative in character. It interviewed a cross-section of Nigerians and also made use of secondary sources of information such as library books, journal articles, newspapers, magazines, etc. The study is very significant in a good number of ways including that it makes the electorates to cast their votes based on good quality political aspirants rather than on sentiments. The findings of the paper, among others, include the fact that the electorates in Nigeria generally cast their votes in line with their religious affiliations. It is recommended, among others, that the electorates should not cast their votes during general election on the basis of religious affiliations but rather on verifiable and objective good quality human behaviour.
By applying a single dataset (i.e., panel data at a national level) and a single analytical framework (i.e., a dynamic mathematical model), I compared religious (REL) and secular (SEC) ethics in two ways: as feasible strategies (i.e., with realistic parameter values such that a strategy can achieve its goal) and as reliable strategies (i.e., with a tight statistical relationship between a strategy and its goal). In both cases, the goal is to achieve environmental sustainability, but with different precepts and principles applied within different perspectives: global vs. local sustainability, individual feelings vs. social pressures as determinants of pro-environmental behavior, and long-run vs. short-run sustainability. Analytical results (feasibility) showed that REL are overall more feasible than SEC and, specifically, REL are more likely to affect the many pro-environmental behaviors required to achieve global sustainability, whereas SEC to affect some pro-environmental behaviors required to achieve local sustainability; REL are more likely to affect pro-environmental behaviors based on individual feelings and social pressures from small communities, whereas SEC to affect pro-environmental behaviors based on social pressures from large communities; REL are more likely to solve collective-action problems to achieve short-run sustainability, whereas SEC to solve collective-action problems to achieve long-run sustainability. Statistical results (reliability) based on 32 random- and between-effects regressions support these results and, particularly, REL and SEC were complementary in time (e.g., for REL, short-run sustainability is more reliable than long-run sustainability; for SEC, long-run sustainability is more reliable than short-run sustainability), in space (e.g., for SEC, local sustainability is more reliable than global sustainability), and in society (e.g., for REL, individual feelings are more reliable than social pressures).
ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to examine the influence of cultural and religious values in engineering ethics education, which has been largely adopted from Western ideologies among engineering undergraduates in Malaysia. Data were elicited from open-ended interviews involving a group of engineering students of a higher education institution in Malaysia. The findings revealed several themes showing that prevailing cultural and religious values have an important place in engineering ethics education by influencing ethical decision making among future engineers. The findings of this study would provide practitioners with considerable insight into the understanding of the immense impact of religious and cultural values on Malaysian engineering ethics education among engineering undergraduates. Conformity to such religious and cultural values was prevalent among engineering undergraduates, suggesting the need to factor in such values in the development of engineering ethics education model that helps strike a proper balance between local social ideologies and Western ethical principles.
Purpose Undergraduate accounting program at Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia is a unique case. The program includes 147 credit hours of which 28 credit hours are religious courses. This study aims to examine the effect of teaching these religious courses on students’ ethical perceptions and decisions. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted for a sample of accounting students at Umm Al-Qura University. The sample was divided into two groups; the first group includes students who did not study religious courses, while the second group includes students who study religious courses. The questionnaire contained three groups of questions that aimed to explore students’ perceptions of ethics in general, students’ perceptions of business ethics and explored their ethical attitudes regarding some accounting decisions that involve ethical dilemmas. Independent two-sample t-test and multiple regression analysis were used to determine whether the responses of the two groups were significantly different. Findings The findings of the study revealed that teaching religious courses led to an improvement in students’ perception of business ethics and an improvement in students’ ethical decision-making. However, the results of the independent sample t-test showed that this improvement was not significant. The results of the study also revealed that male students tend to make less ethical decisions than female students. Research limitations/implications The findings offer an indication for those responsible for managing the accounting program at Umm Al-Qura University to start developing the program so that some of the general religious courses are replaced with specialized courses in accounting ethics that focus directly on ethical dilemmas faced by the accountant when practicing the accounting profession. Originality/value This study contributes to the current literature related to examining the effect of teaching ethics courses on the ethical perception of accounting students by focusing on accounting students in Saudi Arabia as a context that has not been examined before.
AbstractThis special issue addresses reproductive ethics in ways that critically engage and challenge the modes of gestating, birthing, and family‐making that have been passed down in the texts and practices of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Seven scholars trained in biblical studies, theology, ethics, and philosophy bring feminist, womanist, and queer critical perspectives to bear on a range of religious discourses and practices having to do with reproductive realities. Each essay offers constructive ethical proposals that support women’s moral agency, increase women’s voice in institutional religion’s ethical decision‐making, and strengthen women’s well‐being, whether pursuing motherhood or living childfree. These essays emphasize the need for ethics to keep pace with new modes of defining family, the corporeality of pregnancy, personhood in the womb, and other reproductive issues.
Agus Setiawan, Ali Zainal Arifin, Ai Siti Nurjanah
Maryam adalah sosok wanita mulia yang Allah lebihkan diantara banyaknya para wanita. Maryam merupakan wanita yang dekat serta ta’at kepada Allah. Maryam adalah wanita suci sepanjang masa yang namanya disebutkan dalam Al-Qur’an sekaligus diabadikan menjadi salah satu nama surat dalam Al-Qur’an. Jiwa yang bersih dan ketekunan dalam beribadah menjadi salah satu sebab turunnya karamah Allah yang tidak pernah diberikan kepada seorangpun selainnya. Dengan banyaknya karamah yang Allah berikan, ada sebagian para ahli tafsir yang menganggapnya sebagai nabi perempuan. Oleh karena itu penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tentang kontroversi Kewalian Maryam menurut pendapat ahli tafsir. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah ketika menafsirkan ayat-ayat karamah Maryam dalam Al-Qur’an penulis menemukan banyak kontroversi para ahli tafsir tentang kewalian Maryam. Perbedaan pendapat itu muncul dari pemahaman mereka dalam menafsirkan ayat-ayat Al-Qur’an. Salah satunya dalam memahami QS. Maryam: 19. Sebagian muffasir ada yang berpendapat peristiwa tersebut sebagai nubuwwah (risalah kenabian) dan ada juga yang berpendapat bahwa peristiwa tersebut bukan sebuah nubuwwah melainkan petunjuk dan kehendak Allah SWT.
Religious ethics, Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
1.IntroductionAlthough the title name of "Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan" juxtaposes with the name of James Morier, the original work belongs to an Iranian. Imitating the westerns, an Iranian immigrant had created his memoirs abroad and handed it in to Morier "to be published in the West" (Modarres Sadeghi, 2001, pp. 11-12). He had likely not added his name on the work to secure his life from the regime. Mirza Fathali Akhoundzadeh lived in Iran until his 15, then moved to Kafkaz, and all his life tried to inform the Iranian about the globe through literary narration. These two authors had some similarities and differences. The first was the thought school. The author of "The Adventures of Hajji Baba"was acquainted with the social and political life of Istanbule’s population and the Western nations and at the same time the cultural and civilization patterns of Iran. Akhoundzadeh; however, was under the influence of Russian poets, writers, and intellectuals and learned about the Western opinions through Russian language. He was not familiar with cultural and civilization patterns of the Iranian as much as the author of "The Adventures of Hajji Baba". Second, both of them believed in a change in the intellectualism of the Iranian despite they saw it from a different angle and gave different suggestions since they looked at Iran from different perspectives. Third, they both preferred humor and fiction to other styles in creating a change in Iran. And forth, for both of them the King is more of a nature than nurture; that is: a social premise at the head of an organization. 2.MethodologyIn this article, I have surveyed the similarities and differences between the two authors in thought, perspective, and the way of looking at Iran as well as reflecting the method of social, cultural, and religious situation in the nation. The methodology of surveying focuses on the details of the novels, analyzing them, and inferring the related conceptualizations. 3.DiscussionIn spite of differences, there are some typical similarities between the two works. Some of the most outstanding similarities are: 1. The description of the King: the Author of the Adventures of Hajji Baba looks at King from the perspective of ruling the nation, piety, and ethics. The king appeals to religion as a means to conserve the power. He considers for himself a position of divinity and suggests the lives and properties of his people his own belongings (see. Morier, 2001, PP. 130, 133-137, 139, 229-233, 263, 340, 349). Akhoundzadeh; however, does not realizes the king as much as the author of The Adventures of Hajji Baba; he only condemns the king’s divinity by describing him in clothing and the palace (see. Akhoundzadeh, 1977, PP. 426, 438). 2. Both of the authors give a variety of samples to illustrate the incompetency of government agents (see. Morier, 2001, PP. 20, 21, 25, 52, 188, 302-303, 340, 342; Akhoundzadeh, 1977, PP. 413-415, 445-446). 3. The authors both complain about the negligence of the law by the religious and state intellectuals. 4. Both of the authors realize maltreatment of religion and kinship ruling as the result of the king’s dictatorship and incompetency of his relatives (see. Morier, 2001, pp. 93, 355; Akhoundzadeh 1977; pp. 416, 450). Abusing the religion to accomplish nonreligious goals has been mentioned, in a bitter humor, several times in The Adventures of Hajji Baba. The author does not take religion as a social realm; he has rather a feeling for it and sympathizes for the real religious values. It is the same in the Deceived Stars; the real religious and conscientious people have no way to power pyramid. On the contrary, people who are aware of the position of religion in the community with the least knowledge may take the most advantages of it in achieving property and power. 5. For both of the authors, ethics diminishes as a result of dictatorship. They both have represented the downfall of ethical values because of widespread pretend, flattery, and libel. The frequency of ethical downfalls in the Deceived Stars is lesser than The Adventures of Hajji Baba. 6. Prevalence superstitions: in The Adventures of Hajji Baba, the regime’s members are negligent of their negligence. They do not expect developing schools as useful for the regime, and in religious learning they know nothing important except reading Koran. Medical science is only limited to which doctors. The Deceived Stars is mainly founded on a misbelief and then it is condemned. 7. Among the various traditions in Iran, both of the authors mention "Payandaz" (welcome reward) and condemn it (see. Morier, 2001, PP. 130, 140; Akhoundzadeh, 1977, p. 414). 8. Overcharging people: the author of The Adventures of Hajji Baba directly demonstrates samples of people’s oppression; in the Deceived Stars the samples are not presented as directly as The Adventures of Hajji Baba. The reader is to infer oppressions from the expressions and covert behaviors. 9. Portraying the women’s terrible condition: the author of The Adventures of Hajji Baba illustrates some examples of female conditions such as bigamy, involuntary marriage, purchasing and selling as servants, exchanging with stock, and opening Seegheh Khaneh (religious sex houses). To portray these terrible conditions, the Deceived Stars mentions involuntary marriage and divorce for women (see. Akhoundzadeh, 1977, pp. 429-430). 10. Both authors repeatedly talk about the people’s addiction to coffee, hubble bubble, and drugs (see. Morier, 2001, pp. 256, 277, 308, …; Akhoundzadeh, 1977, pp. 58, 433, 440).Regardless of the similarities between the two works, there are some cultural affairs and traditions in The Adventures of Hajji Baba attributed to Iranians through humor and exaggeration that are not stated in Deceived Stars. A few of them are being discussed as follows:the general prevalence of betrayal and lies: among every social class, there are people who are great liars and are quick at raising properties belonging to others. 2.Fear and supplication: when facing with regime’s officers unreasonably reprimanding them, people usually have no choice except for supplication.Habit of discrimination: discrimination is so widespread among occupation communities that even a barber can discriminate among his customers. 4.Status appreciation: people appreciate status. They give big titles to those who occupy the position by stealing and lying and then bend in front of them accordingly. 5.Extortion, bargaining, false swearing, theft and fainting in goods: exaggerating the price of the items and then discounting several times above the real price, swearing to deceive the customer, stealing and cheating in dealing are social habits in the community (see. Morier, 2001, pp. 89-90).On the contrary, there are details in the Deceived Stars that are not present in The Adventures of Hajji Baba such as 1. the welfare needs of the community: constructing streets, bridges, caravanserai, hospital, school, well, welfare for the widow and orphans; 2. Economical, ethical, and scientific needs: distinguishing the knowledgeable from the pretending flattering knowledgeable, stopping the unreasonable interference of the custodians in religious affairs in the lives of the people, providing tuition fees for religious students, developing competent courts, providing support centers for the poor, closing the unlawful ways of extorting money from people, the necessity of employing Sadats (Children of the Prophet) in decent jobs to keep the face of the prophet’s children, focusing on capability in appointments, setting correct and transparent rules for the Court expenses, setting rules for tax collection, timely payment of the Army salaries, prohibiting usury, and so on. 4.Conclusion The author of "The Adventures of Hajji Baba" is most likely an Iranian, not Morier. This author has a relatively comprehensive knowledge of Iranian intellectual conditions and customs, culture, beliefs, psychological needs, occupations, economic situation, history, literature, relations of government institutions with the people, social oppression, lack of law and the like. He also became acquainted with the social life of the people of Istanbul and Europe, and especially their Pekarsk novels such as Gilles Blass. Comparing Iran, Istanbul, and Europe, he has written a Pekarsk novel, using humor and exaggeration to identify the flaws in the lives of Iranians. Akhundzadeh did not know as much about Iran as he did. Therefore, the works of these two have similarities and differences with each other, including: both identify incompetency of employees, kinship ruling in the power system, lack of law, lack of will to legislate the country in the ruling system, astonishing abuses of the glory of religion in society, prevalence of pretense , flattery, slander to others, superstitions, all kinds of injustices to the general public, addiction to Bang and vice versa, lack of production and will to change the status quo and lack of effort for public awareness and development of the country as the reasons for the differences between Iran and other countries . The author of "The Adventures of Hajji Baba" believes that there are magicians in Iran who penetrate the minds and psyche of the public and conquer their intellect. These magicians intensify vices such as betrayal, lies, fear of those in power, discrimination, etc., and worse, they prevent public awakening and, as a result, perpetuate the tyrannical system. Therefore, changing the current situation is a difficult task. This thinking has caused the satire of "The adventures of Hajji Baba" to be sharp and exaggerated, but Akhundzadeh is not so aware of Iranian society.
This paper develops a theoretical framework to assess the feasibility of environmental sustainability solutions, at local and global levels, based on the religious environmental ethics of several key religions: Hinduism (including Jainism), Buddhism (including Confucianism and Daoism), Judaism, Christianity (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism), and Islam. Solutions are defined in terms of consumption (measured by GDP), environment use (measured by the ecological footprint), and welfare for representative individuals. Empirical insights for alternative religious environmental ethics focus on the relative importance attached to the consumption of goods (α) vs. involvement in a (local/global) community, and on the importance attached to the environment within the (local/global) community (μ). In terms of feasibility for national environmental problems (i.e., pairs of α and μ achieving sustainability, in countries where the religion is a majority) and consistency (i.e., coherence with the religion’s precepts) of policies for national environmental problems: Hinduism = uddhism > Islam > Judaism. Christianity produced no feasible solutions. In terms of effectiveness for global environmental problems (i.e., pairs of α and μ achieving global sustainability, if inequalities among nations are reduced in the future) and replicability for local environmental problems (i.e., pairs of α and μ achieving sustainability in countries where the religion is a minority): Hinduism = Buddhism > Judaism > Islam.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of religious education and ethics instruction in the development of worldviews in public education using empirical data. The research question of the article is: How is the contribution of RE and Ethics in the development of worldviews perceived among 9th grade students? The study is based on qualitative interview data (N = 37) gathered from Finnish 9th grade students of different religious and worldview backgrounds. The article will also describe three cases from that sample: from Islamic RE, Lutheran RE and Ethics instruction. The data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that students’ perceptions on the contribution of RE or ethics to the development of their worldviews could be divided into two groups: RE or Ethics were seen as contributors to students’ already existing worldviews or considered insignificant in relation to the development of their worldviews. Whether the instruction was considered strengthening or irrelevant in the development of a worldview did not depend on the background of the student. Aspects related to experiences about the instruction were intertwined with the questions referring to the contribution of instruction in the formation of worldviews.
ABSTRACT As codes of ethics play at least a symbolic, if not educational, role in highlighting and informing professional priorities, 16 codes of ethics for social work practice were examined for references to religion and belief and analysed against the four domains of Dinham’s religious literacy framework. Although religion and belief are mentioned in all but two of the documents, approximately half the surveyed codes only mention religion and belief in respect of either knowledge or skills. Some recognise the need for social workers to be aware of their own biases, but few recognise the need to explain what is meant by religion and belief, despite these terms being in flux. While codes of ethics can contribute to the development of religious literacy among social workers, this requires social workers who already have some religious literacy to actively participate when codes of ethics are being revised. IMPLICATIONS It is an ethical imperative that social workers are able to engage with religion and belief. Social workers require religious literacy, including skills and knowledge of different religions, recognition of the fluidity of the concepts, “religion” and “belief”, and understanding one’s own attitudes towards religion. Codes of ethics can contribute to the development of religious literacy among social workers, but this potential is often not realised as fully as it might be.